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Word just in says that AOL has extended job offers to roughly 1,200 Microsoft employees, according to a spokesperson, many of whom have accepted.

The goal? To ensure that the 600-plus new employees are effectively trained on the entire AOL ad tech stack, which includes an expertise that most of them have little-to-no prior experience in — programmatic.

“The task comes as AOL absorbs Microsoft’s digital advertising business as part of an exclusive, 10-year search and advertising partnership between the two companies,” according to Digiday. “The deal, which kicks off in January 2016, covers video, mobile, and display advertising across Microsoft properties like MSN, Xbox and Skype, and will soon encompass nine global markets, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan.”

Programmatic is becoming a big business for AOL. Its programmatic revenue grew 80 percent year-over-year in the second quarter and now accounts for 45 percent of the company’s global brand advertising business.

“They’ve gotten ahead of Google in terms of presenting themselves as a seller with a programmatic-friendly inventory set — that’s impressive considering Google’s assets in that area,” said one agency executive quoted in the report.

AOL will be training its new salespeople on the company’s entire market offering. And there’s a certification process, too.

All told, AOL is following the market here. Many companies are actively training and retraining people on programmatic.

Mobile Advertising Watch is a leading technology media property dedicated to covering the rapidly evolving world of mobile advertising, reviewing new solutions, giving reliable and actionable tips and breaking important technology news.